About Blogging & Gardening

Note: For those in a reader, sorry for re-posting. It’s amazing, I’ve been reading several posts by bloggers I follow this morning, and a few of them are going through some stuff that sounds strikingly familiar, both with regards to gardening and blogging. First of all, I have noticed that not very many people post about their failures, which is understandable, and it applies to this blog as well as my family blog that the focus should be positive. It’s easy to forget that failures can result in positive experiences, and that is what I try to blog about when I write about struggles. I want people to know that I make mistakes, and that I don’t know everything about gardening -or about anything for that matter- but that I’m learning, which is fun- and human. I hope to have human interaction through this, avoiding all superhumans, because they make me feel nervous and inadequate. I deeply appreciate it when someone does write that they had a hard time with something, or they didn’t have some vital information, or they just pulled a knucklehead move. Because I’ve done all of the above.

Second, about the undue pressure to post. As I’ve said, I have a family blog, and I don’t post as often as I could, and when I don’t, I feel bad. WHY?! It’s supposed to be fun and informative. I’m not trying to make money doing this, and if I don’t post for awhile, it doesn’t mean we aren’t doing cool stuff. So, I blog when I want to. As for this blog, I’m feeling behind, I’ve done a lot in my garden that I haven’t yet written about, and by the time I do I will be even further behind- bla bla bla, you see where this goes, and if you have a blog, you know exactly what I mean. I will post all my stuff eventually, but maybe everyone won’t know -today- what I did -today-. Oh well. Also, it’s easy to garden (or whatever) for the blog rather than garden(or whatever) for the right reasons. It’s about keeping it in perspective and not letting it become yet another demand on your time. At least it is for me.

Third, gardening.-  I was commenting earlier and made the point that I have five survivng pea plants left, (whoopie) Clyde (my daughter’s dog) and the kids (teenagers, for goodness sake) have destroyed several of my seedlings, all of my Brassicas for the spring, I almost killed all my tomatoes, and this was before any warm season stuff was actually put out. Then the flea beetles attacked my ground cherries as soon as I did. The point to this rant? The point is- life is challenging, gardening is challenging, spelling challenging is challenging. But we keep going and trying and learning, for a few reasons. Here are some of mine depending on my mood:

Really pissed off: I can’t justify quitting to my husband, when I’ve spent money on this endeavor. (hehe)

Moderately pissed off: What am I gonna do, sit in the house with the very vagabonds who wrecked my plants?

Mildly miffed: Dang it, I want some @$&# Ground Cherries.

Through the eyes of reason: (real answers) I can’t let my kids see me quit in the face of adversity. I will eventually succeed in a meaningful way. Daniel-son, that which does not kill you only makes you stronger, (or more experienced, and therefore more successful.)

Your Thoughts?

 

Adorable Umbrellas

Genovese Basil growing in cell packs. They come to a stage that makes me think of somewhat whimsical things, a “stop and smell the roses…” kind of moment. Little green: tents? mushrooms? umbrellas? smurf village? Something small, festive and cute. I don’t know, I really don’t have that much time on my hands if that’s what you’re thinking. Ha! The picture doesn’t carry the essence of this like seeing it for real. Your thoughts?

This basil will go in-between my onions for protection from aphids, and to keep weeds down in the onions, shading the soil between them. An example of companion planting.

 

Overwatering Seedlings

This is a bad habit I think many of us doting gardeners have, until we learn to break it. Or, like me, learn the hard way by killing our little plants. I learned this lesson years ago, and I still did it again. I killed 2 Roma Tomatoes, and a Cherokee Purple Tomato. This is the official death toll, but I almost wiped out all my Solanums! About a week ago, I took away the heating pads my seedlings sit on, in an effort to start hardening them off. Unfortunately, I kept watering them as if they were still being warmed; the heat mats really evaporate a lot of water from your seed starting mix, particularly in our dry climate. So almost all my Solanums started drooping horribly, and since I hadn’t changed anything as far as my watering routine, it took me a little bit of panicking, to really look at them and realize they were waterogged. I pulled out the heating mat, put them back on and let them dry out. They all perked right back up, with the exception of these little guys. Oops!

 

What’s Growing On…

 

First of all, my poor little camera has a hard time with these close-ups, sorry for the fuzz, again. Anyway, I have several things growing under the lights right now, some have a definite purpose, and some are just for color. I have a lot more than what I will eventually put out for my own use, but I plan to give away quite a bit. Here is a list, please comment if you have grown these varieties before, I would love to hear about it.

Bell Peppers, California Wonder (4) & Purple Beauty (3)

Eggplant, Black Beauty (4)

Tomatoes, Cherokee Purple (8) Roma (9) Jelly Bean (3) Rutgers (4) =24!

Ground Cherries, Cossack Pineapple (18)

Winter Squash, Lumina Pumpkins (1) Jack O Lantern (2) Spaghetti Squash (2) Jubilee Watermelon (1)

Summer Squash, Black Beauty Zukes (2) Early Prolific Straightneck Yellows (2)

Cukes, Marketmore 76 (1) Sumter (2)

 

I’m nervous about the cucurbits this year because of the squash bugs, I couldn’t keep up with them last year, or the year before. I will be more aggressive this year.

Beans, Royal Burgundy (8) I will be planting more soon, also Tendergreen Improved.

Herbs: Chives, Tarragon, Genovese Basil, Thyme, Catnip, Chamomile, Marjoram, Summer Savory, Peppermint, Sage, Parsley & Oregano. I also have stuff to DS, like Cilantro & Dill, as well as stuff already outside, Rosemary, Lemon Thyme, German Thyme, Lavender& Flat Leaf Parsley.

Flowers: Marigolds, Nasturtiums, Balsam, Zinnias, Petunias, Shasta Daisies & Impatiens. Still to start when there is room, Yarrow, Alyssum, Lobelia.

Other stuff already outside: Shelling Peas- Alaska, the wind got my Sugar Anns, Kohlrabi, Mesclun, Black seeded Simpson Lettuce, Rouge D Hivers Lettuce, Green Oak Leaf, Red Oak Leaf, and Brussels Sprouts- Catskill.

The excitement is building!

 

Working With Seedlings

It is laborious, I admit, but I really enjoy starting seeds myself, as opposed to buying seedlings. I will occasionally buy some, usually as an impulse purchase, but then some things like Rosemary I’d rather not bother with, more because it grows so slowly IF you do get it started.

With most veggie seeds, I start them in cell packs or peat pots, and I start two seeds per pack/pot. One thing that really bothers me is when two seedlings come up, both healthy, and I have to decide which one gets the ax. I know it’s not a big deal, but this seems so wasteful. So, what I started doing is just separating them. If one dies, then I’m back to square one, if they both die, then chances are neither one was very strong, but if they both live, I have a possible replacement, if needed, but the best thing is that I have some to give to friends and family. I have found this really works out well, as long as I don’t run out of room on the seedling table! There are some I don’t try this with, for one, eggplants, they seem to be too sensitive, but peppers and tomatoes don’t mind a bit. I wait until there are 2 true leaves at least peeking out.

I originally started the Cherokee Purples in the 4-cell pack, two seeds in each cell, and they all came up beautifully. I separated them and now I have eight. I will probably give these to my mom’s husband.

Other veggies, such as winter squash, I plant in pots, and only one seed per pot. I figure if I can get a nice transplant by the middle of May with one seed, -cool. If not I will just direct sow. No waste, but a fair shot at getting ahead.

When I’m considering seedlings for separation, I want both seedlings to be healthy, or I will just cull one. I don’t want them to be too large or their roots will be tangled together so much that I end up breaking them so badly that they die. On the other hand, not so young that their stems are still really fragile. This is what I do:

These Ground Cherries- Cossack Pineapple- are naturally very small but they look mature enough, and they aren’t so close together in the pot that they are tangled, so I use a thin object to loosen the soil around the one I want to take out, trying not to disturb the other. When the soil is loose enough, I lift it by the leaves, supporting the root ball, over to a prepared cell pack.

I gently situate the roots into a small hole in the seed starting mix, and water it in, just like a big plant.

Fill in the hole next to the other seedling…

 Four more Ground Cherries.

 

Patio Area Plans

We really are in the process of re-landscaping our entire property. Not intentionally, but we have had this house for three years now, and we have already made a lot of small changes. This area, we call it the patio area, was all lava rock when I bought this place. Ugh! Removing all that rock was a chore. On the west side of the house, there is only about 4′-6′ between the property wall and the house, so we laid out the weed block and moved all that rock to the side of the house. It looks nice, and is fairly maintenance-free. As for this area, we will plant grass in this area, (finally, a lawn!) and this window bed will be mostly annuals, used for kitchen herbs. (The door leads in to my kitchen) Flowers are a must here, because they look beautiful from inside the house, as well, Petunias, of course, Zinnias for my mom, Nasturtiums, Verbena & Lobelia will go here, intermingled with the herbs. Right now, I have kohlrabi, Black Seeded Simpson, Mesclun, Rouge D Hivers, Red Oak Leaf, Green Oak Leaf, & spinach planted in there. There are two Rosemaries, a Flat Leaf Parsley, and two different Thymes that will stay put as I cycle various herbs & flowers through this bed.   

 

New Vegetable Beds

This is a brand new vegetable plot coming into its own.I started work on this last fall, when I planted the garlic, but time got away from me. I am committed to the idea of raised beds, and so, until I get some time to replace them, these awful railroad ties (I had them on hand) will at least keep the soil from collapsing. The beds have been worked up and amended, though it really doesn’t look like it. They have been so windblown this spring that they have a film of sand over the tops. If you drop a spading fork into one, the tines will disappear into rich, fluffy soil. At this point, it looks fairly good, but with our desert soil- heavy clay in some spots, and sand in others, but no organic material to be found- it will take a few years to really build this soil. It’s off to a good start.

When the windy season finally abates (soon I hope) I will mulch the pathways, and after I plant my seedlings I will mulch the beds. More than likely with oat straw, and then this fall horse manure. My daughter has two on- site factories in miniature, see them here.

 

Seed Starting Setup

After years of wildly varied success/failure in the seed starting department, knowing full well what I need, but unwilling to spend the money & time to set it up, I finally broke down this year and set up an official seed starting area. Nothing fancy, but, I have found, VERY EFFECTIVE. Here is what I did and the cost:

Cleared a corner of my garage, which stays about 60*F in the dead of winter.

I’m using a card table I already had.

Went to Home Depot and purchased, on sale, 2- 4′ flourescent fixtures, which I thought were too big at the time. Turns out I could still use another one! They come with short lengths of chain with S hooks.- $10.00 each, not much more than this when they aren’t on sale. I also bought regular old bulbs for it, the salesperson helped me get the right type. -$10.00 for two, each fixture takes two, and they are fairly easy to install. I got 4- 5′ lengths of chain while I was there and a package of S hooks. -$15.00. (They will cut the chain for you)

I went to our biggest local nursery & garden store in search of a proper seedling mat, but they were out. I got to thinking about it, and remembered my cousin talking about his reptiles, so I stopped in at Petsmart and they had heating pads designed for reptiles, so I picked one up for about $42.00 (ouch) It’s about 8″ x 15″, not as big as a seedling mat, but it’s working great, I just put it halfway between two flats. Seedling mats can be ordered online for about that price.

The ceiling in my garage is 8′, and tongue & groove with wooden beams, so all I had to do was pilfer my husband’s stash of screws, install the bulbs, hang the chains, and it was done.

I really wish I had done this much sooner, the cost & time was well worth it. Now I have gone crazy, starting all kinds of seeds with a high degree of success, my plants grow fast, strong, and they’re not leggy. Also, I can hang the lights up high when I’m done with seed starting, fold up the table and the kids can reclaim that part of the garage.

 

Purple Glazer Garlic

 

 

 

Growing garlic is a dream. Planted in the late fall, it takes some patience, but its virtually maintenance free. The pictures are fairly self explanatory, but I will say that I planted it in completely unprepared soil. I was planning to put in my new veggie patch in this area, but hadn’t amended the soil at all, half-heartedly, I stuck these cloves in the ground and in early February I had little sprouts. In the photo below, I had just top-dressed them with bone meal and mushroom compost.

Purple Glazer is a hardneck variety. Hardneck garlic, so they say, doesn’t keep as well as softneck, but has a better flavor. I didn’t plant all the cloves I bought for planting, they are sitting in my garage where it’s cool, and they still look good six months later. If they’re still in good shape when it’s time to plant again, I will give them another go, otherwise I’ll save some for planting. Also I will be looking for a good softneck variety this fall for comparison, and, well, variety. 

 

 

Pictures of Gardening Past…

 

(my apologies for the fuzz)

This lettuce stood unattended, ignored basically, through the coldest part of winter, until I finally decided to harvest it in February, it tasted great.

I have been gardening, more or less, for about fifteen years. I have always been interested in farming, and was raised in the country, really more of a ranch setting, but agriculturally inclined, none the less. In my adult life, I have moved around A LOT, so I have never been able to establish a plot of soil, a fruit tree, or a perennial garden, and actually watch it mature. I have lived in places where someone else established various things and I was a steward to those things as long as I was there. I wish I had pictures of the rosebushes in Tombstone Az, or the lawn & flower beds I built years ago, or the Bearded Irises that were the size of a volleyball in Hereford. I guess those are fish stories now. Well, I’m staying put now, and my children are getting older, so this year I am finally making this endeavor a priority for myself, as a theraputic device, but also for my family in terms of improving quality of life.

 

Hardening Off Seedlings

The lettuce above is completely unrelated to this post, but MORE pictures of my tomato seedlings would be a little redundant, now wouldn’t it? Besides, for once I got a clear close-up, isn’t it pretty?

We are having an unseasonably hot spring. We went from 50* highs to mid 80* highs overnight. This poses a bit of a problem when hardening off seedlings. Not just a bright sun to adjust for, but also a HOT sun, as well as leftover March winds. I go with whatever conditions are present when I set them out, in better words, if it’s windy, which it has been a few evenings, they sit in the shade, protected from the full on force of the wind, but building a tolerance to that, without having to contend with the intense heat and light of the sun. If it’s sunny & calm, they will sit out in the sun to strengthen them in that respect, but I am ever watchful, especially when first starting this process of adaptation. Here’s how things are shaping up.

Finished Stuff:

The cucurbits were rearing to go. I put them out where they would get late afternoon shade and they looked so happy  that I left them out overnight to see how they would do. The next morning, they were all smiles, so I left them out again all day and planted them that evening. They are doing great in my squash…crop…circles,  (Sexy Husband is afraid we may get put on a list for sending messages via satellite pictures to some foreign enemy, hehe) the lines between are seeded with radishes, we don’t eat radishes, so I will probably leave them there, shaded by the squash plants. Hopefully they will help fend off the squash bugs. Also planted in the same battle lines, are Nasturtiums, and over by the corn, Cilantro will come up. All this is a companion planting strategy designed to stink the place up so bad, that the squash bugs will find something else to pick on! Will it work? We’ll see!

Stuff That’s Still Adjusting:

I have some tomatoes, ground cherries, etc. that are about 7 weeks old, they seem to be adjusting really well. Again, I put them out in the evening when I get home, and leave them until after dark. They really could go longer than this, but I can’t get home any sooner, so this evening I will put them out and leave them out overnight. I will get home earlier tomorrow, so I will leave them out in the morning. I’m fairly confident they will be fine and ready to plant this weekend. Our warm weather, and overcast weekend to come tells me it’s time.

Seedlings That Still Need Some Time:

I have some eggplants that are 7 weeks old too, they look healthy, but not very big, and they still seem to be too sensitive, so I will continue to harden off gradually. I also have some Cherokee Purple Tomatoes, some more eggplants and some peppers that are about 5 weeks old. Started a bit late, they aren’t ready to harden off, they will just keep growing under the lights for another two weeks or when they seem ready.

 Never an exact science, gardening just takes careful discernment and patience, and even then, sometimes things just don’t work out like you wish. When they do, though, and that is more often than not, it’s extremely rewarding.